By ANNMARIE LI
STAFF WRITER
GRAPHIC BY EMMA CHANGWill the dark concept of Oneus suffice for their rise to the top of the K-Pop scene?
On Jan. 9, Korean pop (K-Pop) boy group Oneus debuted with their first album, Light Us.
The all-male unit consists of six members: Ravn, Seoho, Leedo, Keonhee, Hwanwoong and Xion. The group is under RBW Entertainment, which has debuted other well known groups such as Mamamoo and Vromance.
Oneus’ title track, Valkyrie, has a dark concept.. Although this concept is used in other K-Pop male groups, such as Stray Kids, BTS, NCT and Day6, the group reforms the concept’s overall meaning with their lyrics, choreography and vocals.
Ultimately, Oneus has the potential to be one of the few rookie groups that can easily become more well known in the K-Pop universe.
Starting with a refreshing debut, Oneus implemented a popular yet meaningful topic into the lyrics of Valkyrie: searching for someone to love. In this case, the lyrics are directed towards the fans. The words and emotion they put into the song show that the fans are truly what makes Oneus who they are.
Moreover, the music video (MV) is another factor of understanding a group’s concept and personality. In Oneus’ title track MV, the shots are well executed, as well as the transitions from each scene. For instance, inside the gray and sullen room that some of the choreography took place in, it slowly became more vibrant due to different props and lighting, adding more variety to the scenery.
Overall, the MV is a nice start into getting to know the concept the group was taking, especially how it captured the symbolism of the lyrics as a whole. The light that constantly shone on the members within the video’s span is a part of the symbolism, as it shows how support is the main factor of a group’s public existence. The members could feel like the “darkness” of their pre-debut era was worth going through, in order to finally see the “light” of when they performed on a debut stage in front of an audience full of fans.
In addition, the impact that Oneus could leave just from their music could make them highly successful, even after debuting from a small company. The emotions reflected through their songs include a variety of emotional tones. For example, the ballad of the album, Red Thread, gives the sense of comfort and relaxation, while Zigzag motivates its listeners. There are only eight songs that have been released, yet all of them show a different approach to each of the tracks, from dark topics to cheerful, motivating songs.
Even though Oneus has had a highly successful debut, but it was not always easy for the group. Before their debut, the group had to undergo a very challenging and selective survival show. The series included the members going through various teamwork and performance tasks, one of those tasks being that they had to choreograph a song made by their senior groups in the span of six hours. Even though Oneus had overcome many of the rough situations from the show, they still stuck together to form a whole group, describing themselves as a family with a strong bond, despite their clashing traits. For instance, Hwanwoong’s relaxed yet lazy personality and Keonhee’s habit of being scared by absolutely everything, contrasting starkly. Nevertheless, the members still get along well.
All in all, although Oneus has its humble beginnings, they are already on their way to becoming a prominent group in the competitive world of K-Pop.